All About Timing
by Sandpiper
Summary: What if after Cora's deception were revealed in Mother, Regina's life changed in a shocking way? What if she met the real man with the lion tattoo? Sometimes it's all about timing.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a concept that really came to me out of no where, and I'm not sure if I'll be continuing it but I wanted to share the idea anyway.**

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 **Storybrooke:**

Sweat beaded on the man's hairline, perspiration running into his bushy eyebrows as he stared up, taking deep, labored breaths.

"Look. I need more time-" he began, his plea devolving into a scream as the bat pressed down harder onto his hand.

"Your team lost."

"I don't have your money!" he yelled, "I had to use it! Gold, raised my rent. I had to pay him, I had no choice, but I'll get it for you I swear!"

He lifted the bat, the other man lifting his hand limply off the bar with a groan. The explanation made sense. Everyone feared Gold in this town. More than him, certainly.

"Understandable. Tell you what?" he leaned across the bar, "I'll give you two days to get me what you owe."

The older man's eyes widened as if to protest, but he met the look, daring him to argue.

Wisely, he chose instead to nod in agreement.

Satisfied, he motioned to the entrance steps, which the man hurried toward clutching his hand.

Sniffing from down the end of the bar, Caleb looked at him, "An extension, Rob? You're going soft."

Tossing the Louisville Slugger beneath the bar he glared at The Rabbit Hole's owner, "Fuck off!"

Caleb laughed, sliding off his stool and shambling toward the back, most likely to get high.

With a sigh, he poured a shot of whiskey and downed it in one gulp. Maybe was going soft, but he wasn't even really sure if he'd ever been any different.

 **Enchanted Forest:**

Regina winced, curling into herself as another cramp ripped through her abdomen. She'd been in pain for hours. Wave after wave of cramping radiating through her belly, back, and thighs.

Eyes watering, she gripped the edge of her pillow, drawing her legs up.

When she'd taken the potion she hadn't known it would be this bad...that it would last this long.

Tears fell from the corner of her eyes into her hair as she held onto her stomach, trying to resist the urge to cry out against the pain in her womb.

She'd done enough of that already, though, as her mother watched with the same disdainful look she's seen so many times as a child whenever she'd done what something her mother disapproved of.

Swallowing, Regina clenched her hands in anger.

She'd been so foolish to think her mother had changed. That she actually wanted to make amends for Daniel.

A fresh wave of tears poured from her eyes at thinking of Daniel.

Hands scrambling to her neck, she pulled the golden chain from the neckline of her nightgown. The tarnished copper ring was barely visible through the moonlight, but she knew it better than anything she owned.

She could still picture Daniel pulling it from the bridle hanging on the stable wall before falling to his knees, love and reverence in his eyes.

Her throat tightened. This was her fault.

Her bottom lip quivered as she raised the ring to her lips and pressed a kiss to it, sending up a plea that, if Daniel could hear her somewhere, he could forgive her for betraying them. For letting herself believe she was actually going to meet her soulmate...for wanting to.

Lowering the ring, thought bitterly to herself that she should have known better. Should have known things like that didn't happen to her. They never had, and never would.

Beating her fists against her pillow angrily, she pushed herself up shakily, and tossed back the bed curtains.

She'd intended to pour herself another cup of wine from where she'd left the pitcher on an end table, but froze half-way out of bed.

She was momentarily struck dumb, actually wondering if she were hallucinating as she watched a figure climbing a rope down to her balcony and in through the window.

He strode into the room with long steps, stopping in his tracks only when he caught sight of her. His hooded cloak hid is face from sight in the darkness, but it was obvious he was staring right at her.

Spurred into action, she leapted backward across the bed yelling for the guards.

Before she could get even half the call out, however, the man pounced on her, clapping his hand tightly over her mouth.

He pressed her into the bed as she struggled against his grip.

"Shh, stop," he hissed.

Opening her mouth, she felt his fingers slip in between her lips. Impulsively she opened her jaw and bit down on his hand.

"Ah!" he cried out, dropping his hand away from her mouth.

"Help!" she yelled once before he again covered her mouth.

Reaching behind her she clawed at him, struggling to kick backward.

"Stop, stop!" he ordered, "I'm not going to bloody well hurt you!"

At the words an idea came to mind, and she stopped struggling, letting herself go limp his arms. Slowly he loosened his grip on her, and lowered his hand away from her mouth.

As he lifted his weight off her, she reached down over the edge of the bed until her hand encountered one of the books she'd left on the floor. Whirling around, she clocked the invader upside the head with it, and kicked him away.

Scrambling away, she stood from the bed and turned back to face the man who had gotten the drop on her.

Anger rose in her as she realized that she hadn't even thought before to call her magic. Putting out her palm, she called up a fireball.

Unluckily, at the same time the hooded intruder pulled a bow from behind his back and drew an arrow, which she could see pointed at her in the glow of the fireball.

"Who are you?"

He didn't respond.

"Why are you here?" she screamed, "Answer me or I'll kill you where you stand!"

"Not before I loose this arrow," he answered calmly, "And it never misses its target."

Breath coming out in fuming pants, Regina demanded, "Who sent you here? Was it my mother?"

He stood silently for a few tense moments before answering, "No...no one sent me here."

"No one sent you here?" she repeated skeptically, "You decided to just come on your own?"

"Yes."

"Why?" she narrowed her eyes, "Have we met before?"

"We have not," he answered.

"Then why are you here?" Regina growled.

He waited another moment before answering, "I heard the Evil Queen was seen in the northwestern region...and this castle would be mostly unguarded."

She blinked at the words, slowly figuring out the meaning behind them. Her lips dropping open incredulously, she asked, "You're here to rob me?"

His silence was answer enough.

Her hand shook for a few seconds before she dropped it, the fireball extinguishing into it. Glancing around the room, a bark fell from her lips. Leaning against her bedpost, more peals of dark, bitter, hysterical laughter bubbled up out of her. It was ridiculous at this moment, but she couldn't have stopped it if she tried.

Finally, she managed to catch her breath, and shook her head mirthlessly. The intruder's arrow followed her as she stepped away from the bed toward the end table.

Picking up her cup, she swallowed a generous gulp of wine, tossing the cup down angrily after draining it.

Lifting her head, she turned back to him and growled, "Well, thief, you made a major mistake in that!"

With that, she re-conjured the fireball. Before she could move to throw it, though, a great crash shook the room. The widow to the balcony exploding in a rain of rocks, fire, and chaos.

Regina stumbled as the room shook. Vaguely, she noted the thief crying out in shock as he was knocked to the ground by falling debris.

Regaining her footing, she stumbled over to the gaping hole that had once been the balcony.

The air sang, and she looked out just before another giant stone projectile hit the castle, rattling the room and forcing her to grab onto the wall for support.

She could hardly believe her eyes as she looked out. Surrounding the castle was an army of several men on horseback, foot soldiers, and trebuchet artillery that was currently bombarding the castle.

She was under attack.

And explosion sounded in the distance, and she was alarmed to note that it had come from the front gate. The trebuchet round hit the castle gates, blowing the heavy wooden doors open and scattering several of the black knights posted at them.

She was under attack...and no one had alerted her. Where were the black knights?

Turning, she made her way through her bed chamber to the door, tripping over fallen stones several times.

Throwing the doors open, she was horrified to find that the knights normally stationed outside her chambers were not at their posts.

Where were they? How was this happening?

Angrily, she stormed down the corridor. She needed to find them, find out why they weren't responding to the attack, and rally them into action!

Her bare feet slapped against the marble floor before her footing went out from under her as the corridor shook, a deafening explosion sounding as a stone obliterated the corridor in front of her.

She landed hard on the floor, her ears ringing.

Her head swum as she felt herself being lifted off the floor.

Dazed, she let herself be dragged down the corridor and down a staircase.

She snapped back to consciousness as, a pair of hands shoved her through a door out of the stairwell.

Regina whirled against the person leading her, attempted to rush back in the direction they'd come.

"Get down!" a voice ordered, shoving her into a wall and pressing himself against her back, shielding her from falling rocks as another round hit.

She recognized that voice. It was the thief.

He pulled her up from the wall and into a nearby room. It was one of the many uninhabited quarters in the castle.

Ripping her arm from his grip, she demanded, "What is happening here?! Are those your men outside?"

He glanced back at her briefly, rushed over to the window, and threw open the shudders, "Why would I sneak in if I had an army at my disposal?"

She had no answer, and clearly this was a waste of time, "I need to get back. I need to defend the castle!"

"I fear it's too late for that," he answered, dragging her over to the window.

"What are you doing?!" Regina demeaned as he unceremoniously lifted her onto the window sill, "Put me down!"

He, mostly, ignored her, swinging her off the side. She clawed at his arm in shock before he let go, sending her plummeting to the ground below.

She fell two stories, landing hard on her back in the flower bed below. The blow knocked the breath out of her, and, before she could recover, a thump sounded beside her head as his landed next to her.

Grabbing her hand, the thief pulled her to her feet and through the gardens. Tree limbs slapped her face.

"Wait!" she yelled, "Wait!"

"If we wait, we're dead!" he barked.

Arrows whistled through the air above them, rustling as they dropped through the trees.

He was probably right about that, but she would be damned if she was going to let him drag her around any more. She dug in her heels, forcing herself to a stop and conjured her magic. He was still holding onto her hand when purple smoke surrounded them, transporting them both away.

They materialized in an open field. One she remembered running through as a child. It was the southern field at her parents long since abandoned estate.

Realizing the thief still had a grip on her hand, she yanked her fingers from his grasp and yelled, "What the hell was that?! What do you think you were doing?"

Tossing his hood back, the man glared at her angrily, "What I was doing was saving your arse!"

She blinked at the man before her. He didn't look familiar. Apparently he was just a random thief.

"What you did may very well have cost me my kingdom!" she screamed.

"I had no interest in your kingdom," he shot back, "And, from what I saw, it would seem you have enemies!"

Glaring, she stormed toward him, "Indeed, and I will eliminate them one by one...starting now!"

Conjuring a fireball, she whipped her hand back, fully prepared to torch this thief where he stood. As she reared back, however, an inopportune cramp ripped through her lower belly, doubling her in half with a shout of pain.

She stumbled over her feet, knees landing on the ground. Her head swirled, nausea rising in her throat, and grey clouding her vision. As the world slowly faded around her, she didn't register his hands catching her waist before her face could land in the grass.


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, it looks like it's happening. This has turned into a multichapter. Hopefully everyone still wants it after this one!**

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 **Storybrooke:**

Robin had been loading glasses into the dishwasher when it hit. An invisible pulse that washed over him in an instant, leaving him standing around somewhat dumbly, blinking as a jumble of images rushed into his head.

Re-gaining a sense of his surroundings, Robin realized he was still holding a glass in his hand. He set it down as he slowly stepped out from behind the bar. Around him The Rabbit Hole's few patrons at this time of day, those who were still sober enough to walk, were also glancing around with similar looks of bewilderment.

They felt it too.

He wasn't sure what drove him toward the entrance steps, just that he felt compelled to get outside as quickly as possible.

The sunlight and fresh air offered a small measure of calm, but no real clarity to the memories that seemed to be rearranging themselves in his mind.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he struggled to slow down his racing thoughts. He knew, however, that there was something important he needed to focus on. Something he needed to remember. He just didn't know what!

The answer came to him in an instant, nearly knocking him off his feet as he recalled dark eyes looking up at him with trust and wonder.

Roland.

Taking a shaky breath, Robin dropped his hand from his face.

He didn't even recall taking the first few steps, but, before he knew it, his legs were carrying him down Main Street past what seemed to be everyone in Storybrooke coming out of their homes and businesses. Some let out angry exclamations, but most just stood around in shock as he had done.

He breezed past them, though, his heart telling him to keep moving and don't stop.

It lead him through the open gate and up the concrete walkway to Storybrooke Group Home. He shoved through the doors into the small tiled entryway. The inside was chaos. The home's stark white walls echoed with confused cries from children, and the shouts of frantic adults.

Robin wasn't sure how many of them were employees, and how many, like himself, were parents who had just remembered that one of the children there was actually their own.

Shoving his way through the throngs of people rushing through the halls calling out various names, he ducked into each room he passed, adding a shot of Roland's name to the cacophony.

He could feel his heart speeding up with every room that he checked and did not find his boy, until, finally, he reached the last room at the end of the hall. It was a playroom lined with toys, books, and brightly colored checker carpet. It was, however, empty.

Catching himself against the doorframe, Robin struggled to not hyperventilate.

He wasn't here. Roland wasn't here. Where could he be?

Through the noise outside the room, and in his own mind, a small voice cut through, "Papa?"

Whirling around, Robin saw him standing in the corner clutching a stuffed bear to his chest.

"Roland," he breathed, clearing the room in two long strides to sweep the boy up.

He felt Roland's arms clutch around his neck as he held him tightly, soaking in the feeling of having his son in his arms again, feeling his heart beating through his back.

"Papa, what's going on?" Roland asked tentatively.

Robin patted his back comfortingly, and answered, "I don't know."

Turning towards the door, he transferred Roland to one hip, "Come on, we're getting out of here."

He made his way quickly out of the building, dodging other parents who were still searching for their children.

Once outside again, Robin broke into a light jog back toward Main Street. He stopped only when the sound of distant screams reached his ears.

It quickly became apparent, why, though.

On the horizon there was a thick lavender cloud creeping toward them, travelling at an impossibly fast pace as it swallowed everything in its path.

Like everyone else, he froze, mouth dropping open in shock.

Knowing there was nothing he could do, Robin braced himself and did his best to shield Roland from the fog as it it enveloped them.

 **Enchanted Forest:**

Regina's entire body jolted, her back bouncing against the hard surface beneath and sending stab of pain radiating around to her abdomen.

A cry escaped her throat as cramps ripped through her, making her insides roll with nausea.

Moaning, she curled over onto her side and gripped her stomach, which continued to rebel against the bumping sensation surrounding her. She tried to open her eyes, but only managed for a moment before quickly squeezing them closed as the light flooded her eyes and felt like it pierced directly to the back of her skull.

In the distance, she heard a woman's voice speaking to her, but she was too focused on trying not to be sick.

A damp cloth was placed on her forehead, easing the queasiness enough that she managed to succumb to blissful unconsciousness.

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"...you...hear me?" a voice reached her slowly as if she were hearing it from underwater.

"Can you hear me?" it repeated more clearly.

Regina draped one arm over her eyes, her mind not registering the nonsensical nature of taking such an action to block out sound.

"What is your name?" it persisted in asking, "Can you hear me? Can you tell us your name?"

"M'lady," this voice was a new one, deeper, masculine, "Please, tell us your name."

Her lips creaked open, her throat dry as she rasped out, "Regina."

"Regina," the male voice repeated back.

The words were the last she heard before the world drifted away again.

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"Regina!" it snapped back in what felt like an instant, but could really have been hours or even days.

A gentle hand cupped her face, trying to draw her attention. With a groan of protest, Regina batted it away.

"Regina," the woman's voice repeated firmly before asking, "Regina, are you with child?"

A harsh laugh escaped her throat at the question. Trying desperately to sink back into the blanket around her, she shook her head, regretting it as it caused the throbbing behind her eyes to worsen.

"No," she rumbled, "I'm definitely not that."

And, with that, she managed to block everything out and fall back into sleep.

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Voices and the smell of woodsmoke reached her years through the canvas covering the wagon. Glancing through the back, she bit her lip as she wrung out the cloth into the small bucket of fresh water she'd fetched from the stream when they stopped.

Pushing herself up, she turned around to the woman lying on the makeshift bed of blankets. Kneeling by her side, she put the cloth over her head.

Her brow wrinkled, but she only shifted slightly before stilling again.

Marian's frown deepened as she took in the sticky pallor of her skin. She had been sweating for the past couple hours. Normally, she would have taken that as an encouraging sign of a fever breaking, but during the past few days she'd nursed this woman she hadn't run a fever...in fact her skin had been clammy and cold.

With a sigh, Marian stood and made her way to the back of the wagon. Tossing open the canvas, she climbed down off the side.

As her feet hit the ground, she looked toward the clearing a few feet away where the men were gathered. She felt a shiver run through her as she glanced back at the wagon.

Drawing her cloak more tightly around her, she made her way through the trees to join the group.

She was perfectly content to stand at the back, but, as usual, the men moved aside to allow her to the front when they noticed her presence.

"...a few miles south of here, and into the forest. We can camp there a few days while we gather information, make sure it's safe to continue on to Sherwood," Robin finished instructing, dismissing the group with a nod, "Get some rest. We'll move out just before dawn."

The group stood around pensively for a moment, but parted without complaint, the men quietly making their way to their tents and bedrolls without any of the conversation or jokes that usually filled their nights

Marian sighed as she took in this fact, but waited until all of the men were out of an earshot before turning to her husband.

"Robin."

He glanced up briefly from the map he had laid across an empty barrel. He acknowledged her with a smile, "Everything alright?"

"Yes," she nodded, "Everything's fine."

He nodded back, looking back down at the map, "You should go ahead and go to bed. Get some sleep while you can."

"Robin," she caught his attention again, "What are you doing?"

He looked back up at her, "What do you mean what am I doing? I'm making sure our passage back to camp is safe. We don't want any more surprises."

She stepped forward, ducking into his eyeline and forcing him to meet hers, "And what do you think you'll find while looking at that map for the hundredth time?"

"Marian-"

Before he could say anything else, though, she reached up and caught his face between her hands, "What happened at the castle was not your fault."

He looked away from her eyes, reaching up to remove her hands from his face and hold them between his, "I lead us into a battle."

"Robin-"

"An entire army was right outside the castle's gates. An entire army travelling to the same place we were, and I missed it!"

"We all did," Marian pointed out, "There was no word. Nothing about an army-"

"There might have been if I'd taken the time to inquire properly," he answered, "If I hadn't been so rash-"

"Robin, stop!" she insisted.

"I put every one of The Merry Men in danger! I put you in danger."

"We all agreed to this job," she argued, "We discussed it and we all agreed. If it was your mistake it was all of ours."

She know that he didn't see it that way. The Merry Men looked to Robin to lead them, and he took the responsibility seriously. Felt responsible for protecting, not only everyone at the camp, but also the needy they used their gains to help.

"If that army had found us, or if I had not decided to go in myself first, someone could have been hurt," he said miserably, "I won't let that happen again."

She squeezed his hand reassuringly, "I know you won't, and so do the men. We all trust you, Robin."

He sighed.

Marian licked her lips apprehensively before continuing, "It's just..."

He looked up at her inquiringly as she paused.

"...it might help if we knew what your plan was."

His brow wrinkled in confusion, "I've said it. We'll take a roundabout route back to Sherwood Forest. Make sure we aren't being followed or that there aren't any traps waiting for us."

"So we're going back to camp?" she asked.

"Why do you ask that?"

"Robin, you know why," Marian sighed, glancing pointedly through the trees toward the wagon, "That woman. She's the queen isn't she?"

Pursing his lips, he nodded, "I believe so."

"And we're taking her to Sherwood?" she asked incredulously.

"We can't just leave her," he answered, "Not like this."

"Yes," Marian nodded, "She's ill. That much is obvious, and I'm not suggesting we just leave her by the side of the road to die, but, Robin...the queen? We're taking the queen to our camp? The woman whose Black Knights we spend most of our time running from?"

Robin ran his hand through his hair with an agitated sigh

"I'm just trying to understand your plan," she continued.

Turning back to her he answered, "In truth, I don't have a set plan. I'm just trying to do the right thing."

"I understand that, but, Robin, are you sure this is the right thing? The stories about her..." she felt another shiver go through her as she continued on, "...they aren't of person...they're of a monster."

Robin let his eyes drop to the ground as he looked away, deep in thought, for a second. Finally, he turned back to her and answered softly, "I know. I know that, and I do worry this could a mistake. Possibly a fatal one, but, when I went into that castle...I didn't see a monster, I saw someone desperate."

She let out a breath, glancing away as she contemplated what her husband had said. She desperately wanted to trust him. To believe that he knew what he was doing, but her mind kept coming back to the fact that the person they had essentially kidnapped was known throughout the land as The Evil Queen. That they might very well bring her right into their camp. The one place they worked so hard to keep secret...safe.

Robin's hand on her arm drew Marian's attention away from her musings. He lifted her hand, holding it between both of his and said to her, "But I'll trust your judgement on this, love. You've spent more time with her than anyone. Do you believe she's just a monster?"

That was a question that felt impossible to answer as, thus far, all she'd seen was a woman sick and delirious with some kind of illness that behaved like no other. Although, perhaps that was the point Robin was trying to make. Perhaps that was what he was saying he'd seen when in her.

She sighed, "It's hard to say until she's in her right mind again what she'll be, but, at the moment...no. I'm not sure she's only evil."

Letting out a breath of relief, Robin slid his hand around the back of her neck and leaned her head up to kiss her softly, "Thank you."

 **To be continued?**


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